BY SCOTT FRENCH
Senior Editor
in Cary, N.C.

Offensive MVP Heather O'Reilly and fellow U.S. national-teamer Lindsay Tarpley each scored two goals Sunday as North Carolina met expectations by blowing out Connecticut, 6-0, to win its 18th national championship.

The top-ranked Tar Heels (27-0-0) scored three goals in a five-minute span early in the second half to turn what was ostensibly a tight game into a rout for its 17th NCAA championship — it also won the AIAW title in 1981 — and its first in three seasons.

Lori Chalupny, the best player on the field, and Alyssa Ramsey also tallied for North Carolina, which dealt well with an aggressive UConn team that benefited from a solid gameplan until the Tar Heels' vast advantages in talent and depth took over.

Carolina completed their playoff run before an announced crowd of 10,042 at SAS Stadium with a sixth successive shutout, and it outscored its NCAA opposition, 36-0. Favorable comparisons with its 1992 team, which featured Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Tisha Venturini and is considered the greatest college women's team in history, are in order.

''Every emotion goes through you …,'' said senior Catherine Reddick, a starter on the U.S. Women's World Cup team. ''It's a bit of relief. There was a lot of pressure to win it for these girls. Most of my emotions are joy.''

Tarpley's two goals and two assists gave her 23 and 27 for the season for 73 points, the best total in Division I. O'Reilly, a freshman who was recuperating from a broken leg and ankle-ligament surgery for much of the season, netted her 15th and 16th goals. Half her total came in the NCAA tournament.

North Carolina became the fourth team in NCAA history to go unbeaten and untied, joining the Tar Heels of 1991, 1992 and 1993. The 1981 squad also went unbeaten and untied, but the NCAA was not administrating women's sports at the time.

Tarpley gave Carolina an eighth-minute lead, slotting home Chalupny's cross after the midfielder dribbled past UConn's Niki Cross.

Connecticut probed the Tar Heels' defense with some success — Jessica Gjertsen just fired high when trying to chip goalkeeper Aly Winget from distance two minutes' after Tarpley's first strike — but Carmen Watley's speed cut off throughballs and the Huskies (15-6-3) struggled to possess in UNC territory.

''The game looked promising from the beginning,'' said Connecticut coach Len Tsantiris. ''We got our chances, but we couldn't connect on any of them. They got the goals on their chances while we were unable to get at least one out of our opportunities.''

Chalupny's goal, in the 31st minute, pretty much finished off Connecticut. It started with Kacey White beating Meghan Schnur on the right flank, followed by a Tarpley shot that was blocked at the edge of the box. O'Reilly took possession and delivered a superb low cross that Chalupny knocked home.

The rout was on with goals in the 57th, 59th and 61st minutes, the last two off corner kicks.

O'Reilly slipped past Cross on the left flank, then beat UConn keeper Erin Rice at the near post to make it 3-0. Tarpley poked in Maggie Tomecka's header from Alyssa Ramsey's corner kick — a goal initially credited to Tomecka — and it was 4-0.

Another Ramsey corner, also from the left, was headed by Tomecka and then Kendall Fletcher. Rice stopped the ball, banging it off her crossbar, and the ball fell into the goalmouth. Tarpley got a touch on it, and O'Reilly pushed it into the net.

Ramsey added the sixth in the closing seconds, firing into an open goal after reserve goalkeeper Megan Jessee's clearance hit the Tar Heel forward in the chest.

The win was Carolina's fourth against Connecticut in a title game. UNC also won in 1984 (2-0), 1990 (6-0) and 1997 (2-0).

NCAA DIVISION I
Final
Sunday, Dec. 7 at Cary, N.C.
North Carolina 6 (Tarpley 8, 59, Chalupny 31, O'Reilly 57, 61, Ramsey 90) Connecticut 0

All-Tournament Team
Lori Chalupny (North Carolina)
Jessica Gjertsen (Connecticut)
Kristen Graczyk (Connecticut)
Heather O'Reilly (North Carolina)
Nandi Pryce (UCLA)
Alyssa Ramsey (North Carolina)
Catherine Reddick (North Carolina)
Lindsay Tarpley (North Carolina)
Maggie Tomecka (North Carolina)
India Trotter (Florida State)
Carmen Watley (North Carolina)

Offensive Player of the Tournament
Heather O'Reilly (North Carolina)

Defensive Player of the Tournament
Catherine Reddick (North Carolina)